"I understand. Yes, thank you Cappy. I do, believe me, I do. Absolutely. You take care."

Ending the taxing twenty-minute conversation with a weary sigh, Mike hung up the phone once again, trying to stretch his stiff neck but making it crack instead.

Absent-mindedly running his injured hand over his chin, he sat there for a few moments, silently staring at the Scales of Justice across his desk, his thoughts wandering to the Mission Dolores Cemetery and the bizarre scene that had played out there.

None of his stoolies had been able to contribute to the puzzle, and strangely enough, neither did the guys from Missing Persons.

The longer he looked at the case, the more it seemed as though their body was a straggler, a vagabond caught in somebody's crosshairs, a man without an identity- much like their arsonist.

Letting go of the thought as soon as it arose, Mike drew in a deep breath, his lungs feeling better as each day went by, the burning and wheezing slowly but surely disappearing.

Outside his office, Steve and Tanner had put their heads together, trying to see if the body belonged to someone who had gone through Tenpenny's homeless shelter program, but having little luck at the mere idea of identifying anyone who would have been at the shelter nine months ago based on their limited findings.

Suffice to say, his last hope of identifying their John Doe anytime soon vanished when the dental records came back without a match as well.

When he noticed that Mike had finished his phone call, Steve turned back around to join his partner in the inner office, a warm smile on his face as he gestured west.

"You look exhausted. Wanne call it a day? I'd be happy to drive you home."

"I don't know.", Mike mumbled and stared back at his injured hand, feeling the burning of the remaining blisters against the tight bandaging.

"We're almost at a standstill at this point. Without Father Tenpenny's help, we're in the dark as to who our victim is. I've exhausted my assortment of stoolies and it sounds like you've done the same. It might be worthwhile to call it a day and try again tomorrow. The doctor did tell you to take it easy for a few days."

"Leave it to you to mother-hen me to death…"

His ill-tempered comment was met with the ever-present charming smile, as Steve shrugged, too stubborn to leave.

"Think of it this way. The sooner we get you back to full duty, the sooner you can show us younglings how to do the job."

Unable hide a smile at the flippant comment, Mike shook his head and slowly stood up, placing his .38, badge and handcuffs in the right-hand drawer of his desk before clearing his throat.

"Very well, Smiley. But don't think it will be that easy to convince me tomorrow. All I need is a good night's rest and I'll be ready to put in a full day."

"I figured as much.", Steve countered and helped his partner back into his black overcoat, the temporary victory painting a cheeky grin on his features, "In the meantime, let's get you out of here and tucked into bed."